foy465 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 we are moving out to QLD on the 27/02/11, and we cant really decide on a suburb to settle, I know that you cant really decide on a area till you seen it, but just wanted other peoples views. we need to decide either the sunshine coast or the gold coast, then break it down to a suburb. my work is based at Albion, Brisbane, but I wont need to visit the office that much, as I will be field based. So would like to be approx 1hr away from Albion. would appreciate if people could give me your views on eithe the SC or GC and any suburbs ? we are a young'ish family (myself 36, wife 30, kids 4 + 7) would like to be near a beach but dont mind a bit of a drive to get there. any help would be greatfully recieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hiya You have a tough choice, there are so many lovely suburbs out there to choose from. The Gold Coast has the repuatation for being livelier with lots to do, probably because of the theme parks and tourist areas, whilst the Sunny coast is a little more laid back. I personally like the suburbs towards the south of the Gold Coast, Your away from the touristy, bright lights of surfers paradise but near enough to access them if you want. Beaches are a short drive away, good schools and nice family orientated suburbs. Areas such as Robina, Varsity Lakes, Mudgeerraba, Tallai, down to Currumbin, Collangatta and Kirra. These areas are worlds apart from Surfers and some even offer acerage plots . Good luck its a tough choice for you Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeM Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Fair enough, as you'll be field based makes sense to choose somewhere else if you're not going to be commuting all the time I guess... Personally I think there's a lot more going on on the Gold Coast as it stands and there's not really a lot (if anything) to do on the sunshine coast. It IS nice up there don't get me wrong but Brisbane/Gold Coast is where it's at if you actually want something to do with your leisure time. :biglaugh: Ashmore is a nice suburb on the Gold Coast. Check that out. It's a little diamond in the rough so to speak if you ask me. It's pleasant, and near enough Surfers Paradise... and you've got Southport etc nearby as well. Or go a bit further and have a look at Robina, Currumbin etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djburgessuk Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Gold Coast every time for me.....Sunshine Coast is nice for relaxing vacations, but too quiet for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest simon geoffrey moore Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 we are moving out to QLD on the 27/02/11, and we cant really decide on a suburb to settle, I know that you cant really decide on a area till you seen it, but just wanted other peoples views. we need to decide either the sunshine coast or the gold coast, then break it down to a suburb. my work is based at Albion, Brisbane, but I wont need to visit the office that much, as I will be field based. So would like to be approx 1hr away from Albion. would appreciate if people could give me your views on eithe the SC or GC and any suburbs ? we are a young'ish family (myself 36, wife 30, kids 4 + 7) would like to be near a beach but dont mind a bit of a drive to get there. any help would be greatfully recieved. depends on what u want i found the gold coast nice but very commercialised and sunshine coast very quite and alot slower probebly better for young kids this might help:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PARBUTTN Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 depends on what u want i found the gold coast nice but very commercialised and sunshine coast very quite and alot slower probebly better for young kids this might help:biggrin: I was in the same dilemma for 2years, my head Gold coast, my heart Sunshine. We have been living on Sunshine Coast for 9 weeks now and absolutely loving it. It is so beautiful. We have friends on the gold coast, and have spent a lot of weekends with them, but for us we find it too busy and commercialised and lots of traffic. I have twin 16yr olds who I thought would love the busier coast but love coming home here. It just depends what you are after. Gold Coast Suburbs are alot closer to Brisbane, so prob consider south sunny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djburgessuk Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Parts of the south Gold Coast are nowhere near as commercialised as others, yet if you want to visit that sort of thing, it is only a 10 minute drive. That is why we love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PontePom Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 We're in Helensvale on the northern part of the Gold Coast and we love it. We can be at the beach in a 10-15 minutes car drive. We can be at Movie World and wet n wild in about 5 minutes Train station 5 minutes drive Great shopping centre 5 minutes drive But where we are it's so peaceful and relaxed... Everything you need and more and if you want to get to surfers it aint that far away. Brisbane on a train in about an hour if needed. We wouldn't want to live anywhere else and don't plan on doing so Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markntracey Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 We planned on the gold coast but when we done our reccie we had a drive upto the SC and we decided that was for us . We've been here 8 weeks and love it. We will however be visiting the Gold Coast for day trips etc as it is lovely too. We had been planning on the gc for 18mths but you just have to go with your feelings when you get here. We're also 25 mins drive from where we spent our first 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma2 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 We have just arrived on the GC, myself, oh and kids 14, 12 & 4. When we were trying to decide on an area lots of people said that the Gold Coast was tacky and commercialised but we went with our gut instinct and came here. I have to say the it has far surpassed my expectations. The beaches are beautiful, yes some are busier but there is so much choice. The theme parks are great fun and nowhere near as busy as theme parks in places like Florida. The hinterland is gorgeous and the people are incredibly friendly and helpful. You can choose to live near the coast, in the more rural areas or in a quiet suburb. We have also found a lovely school for the kids which is a great weight off my mind. I have never been to the Sunshine Coast but I do think that the Gold Coast has so much to offer families. I say do your research and then go with your gut feelings. Emma x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ali Willoughby Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I love the sunshine coast for a bit of a tropical holiday. Noosa is gorgeous. It is very quiet and laid back with a population of 60% retirees. I came to the gold coast 5 years ago for work and expected to stay here for 6 months. I had a feeling it was going to be a tacky and unsophisticated. Well it had been 10 years in between visits and I was blown away by the changes. A fabulous place for all. Beaches, dog friendly parks, fabulous city scape views, amazing tropical rainforests, sophisticated boutique shopping aswell as great bargain shopping. I lived at Mermaid beach initially which was ok but unless your on zillionaires row quite boring. I then lived in Benowa which was a little far from the beach. I then bought a little old queenslander in Southport and I am totally in love with the place. Less than 2kms from the beach, walking distance to schools, hospital and shopping centres. Like a mini city by the beach. An older suburb but is like the Bondi of queensland, being refurbished very quickly. You can still buy a house for under $400k's. Not for long though as they have started the new light rail system that runs straight through Southport. 45mins and your in Brisbane. They are bidding for the commonwealth games on the gold coast and if they win it Im sure the gold coast prices will increase in affordable areas like southport. My advice is if your working in Albion be sure to have a look at southport as an option on the coast. I commute to Brisbane a couple of times a week and found that being south of broadbeach added 30 to 40 mins to my trip during peak hour. Sorry to sound so biast about my new home but as you can see I have fallen in love :wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THORPES Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We stayed on gold Coast for 8 weeks at Ashmore and looked at many areas but liked Benowa, Pacific Pines and Robina. We liked them but didnt love them. We visited the Sunshine Coast and loved it here. We have now moved to Mooloolaba and have been here 3 weeks. We have 2 boys aged 14 and 9 and they both like it here more. It is more laid back but everything is close. We felt the Gold Coast to be very spread out and at bit Flash. Our eldest cycles to the beach after school with his mates, thats something I wouldnt have liked him to do on the Gold Coast as far too busy. My OH still commutes every day to Gold Coast. He is tired but says its 100% worth it to live here. Jill x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Joker Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Just a quick note - Albion is on the north side and accessible directly from the Sunshine Coast via train or car without having to go over the toll bridge. A minor point as he won't be going in every day. When we moved here almost 8 years ago we established ourselves on the south side - half way between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Whilst we enjoyed the theme parks initially, once you've done them you've done them. And we liked the beaches on the Gold Coast but found ourselves heading up to the Sunshine Coast more and more as we preferred the beaches up there. So middle of last year we moved up to the Sunshine Coast. We are loving it although, to be honest, my eldest daughter is finding it hard (19 years old) as she left her friends behind and hasn't found much of a social scene here to make new friends. My younger daughter is still in high school and has made the transition much easier and is enjoying her school much more than the one down south. So, my view on the main differences? Gold Coast IS much more commercial. Meaning more people, more job prospects, better range of shops and nightlife but also more crime, the annual "schoolies" aboration, more unsocial behaviour generally. The Sunshine Coast is like going back in time a bit. Slower pace of life. Lifestyle is more about the beaches, barbecues, early to bed, early to rise sort of a deal. But that was more of what we wanted. More space, fewer people, a bit of peace and quite but close enough to "action" if we can be bothered to seek it. Obviously, I am biased as I believe my decision to move here to be the right one. You just need to work out what it is you are seeking as the important features for your relocation. You can find the space and tranquility down near the GC but you will be inland a little whereas the SC is all about being near these fantastic beaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Joker Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Oh - another tip - as most of us get here and initially rent a property - take plenty of time to get to know both SC and GC. Property prices are still going down and the currency exchange rate would prevent me from transferring all my money across just now. So no rush to commit. Kids are young enough to be able to switch schools if you choose a different suburb to the one you initially rent in. So allow yourself to get over that initial euphoria of making the move (it is bloody exciting and even now I still have the hairs on the back of my neck go up as I ride to work on the train through national park forests rather than a concrete jungle) acclimatise a little to the new way of living and how things function here. Use the great people on this forum to meet up and get shown the ropes and then make your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aksl Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 If your in Albion would probably be easier to commute to Sunshine coast but I would get sick of the traffic and you'll find driving etiquette very different. For me I prefer the South Gold coast beaches heading into NSW fabulous. Sunshine coast is beautiful, relaxing and quiet reckon start off renting near work say in Windsor and have a look round you'll get a feeling for a place I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GeorgeD Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Just a quick note - Albion is on the north side and accessible directly from the Sunshine Coast via train or car without having to go over the toll bridge. A minor point as he won't be going in every day. This is true...I also currently work in Albion and I live in Rochedale South, a suburb to the South of the City. I need to leave home no later than 7:40am to start work at 8:30am most days, and that involves going through the Clem 7 tunnel which incurrs a $3 toll each way. If you are looking for a commute of an hour or less to Albion at peak times, you can realistically forget the Gold Coast. The Gateway Motorway at Eight Mile Plains has almost always been at a standstill when I've driven over it to reach the Pacific Motorway. At times it is also at a standstill, but from all accounts it is the quickest way. We have staff who live in Tanah Merah, Loganholme and Beenleigh who all travel well over an hour to get to work in the morning. The Gold Coast is going to be longer. The drive home can be a little quicker, but not much, maybe save 5 or 10 mins at rush hour. Later in the evening it can be done safely in 25 mins. If you are considering living on the Gold Coast and travelling to Albion regularly, then you'll need to accept that you are likely to be travelling an hour and a half each way at rush hour. I've regularly gone to meetings on the Gold Coast during the day and it has taken 45-50 mins to get to Robina, maybe an hour to Surfer's Paradise, etc, but at rush hour, you need to get across the river and your choice of routes is limited by that. Whilst I've never driven from the Sunshine Coast to Albion at rush hour, remember some of teh distances involved here...If you were considering somewhere like Noosa, then you're likely to be at least two hours in rush hour...it's over 120kms away from Albion! Even with no traffic, if you stick to speed limits it would take you the best part of an hour and a half. What about places a bit closer to the City, like Redcliff/North Lakes direction? We love spending time in Redcliff and can see ourselves moving there eventually. Our daughter has most of her friends on the South Side of the city, so moving out of the city to the North didn't make sense for us, but once she gets her driving license and a car then that will be less of a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aksl Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Yep Redcliffe is a good option Aussies seem to think it is rough but it's not compared to the uk still be stuck in traffic though. I used to coach there Rugby team and travelling from Chermside maybe 20 kms away could still take an hour in traffic. Kallangur less than 20kms can take 40 minutes to an hour also and Chermside is 10 kms from the city. Would agree forget the Gold coast if working regulary in the City not sure the drive or train to the Sunshine coast would be fun either, people do it though usually Brits lol, good luck in what you decide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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